Judgment Day is trending these days. But why ? Who started it ? It seems it was Harold Camping. According to Mr. Camping's predictions, May 21, 2011 will be the day of the Rapture, while five months later, October 21, the world will end.
What is the Rapture ?
Referred in the Christian Bible as "Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." in the "1 Thessalonians 4:17" passage, the Rapture is the taking into heaven of believers selected by God. Jesus's return will also mark either both these two moments, Rapture or the end of the world, or only the second one. According to Harold Camping's followers, the estimated number of believers that will be taken by God in to Heaven is of about 200 millions.
Who are Harold Camping's followers ?
They are the listeners of Family Radio Network, a religious broadcasting organization funded entirely from their donations. With programmes in 48 languages and stations in countries like USA, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Camping's Family Radio Network has thousands followers all over the world.
Who is Harold Camping ?
Referred in the Christian Bible as "Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." in the "1 Thessalonians 4:17" passage, the Rapture is the taking into heaven of believers selected by God. Jesus's return will also mark either both these two moments, Rapture or the end of the world, or only the second one. According to Harold Camping's followers, the estimated number of believers that will be taken by God in to Heaven is of about 200 millions.
Who are Harold Camping's followers ?
They are the listeners of Family Radio Network, a religious broadcasting organization funded entirely from their donations. With programmes in 48 languages and stations in countries like USA, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Camping's Family Radio Network has thousands followers all over the world.
Who is Harold Camping ?
Born on July 19, 1921, Harold Egbert Camping is a Christian radio broadcaster and president of Family Radio, a California-based religious broadcasting network that spans more than 150 outlets in the United States as well as a website and with programmes in 48 languages and stations in countries like USA, Turkey, Russia, South Africa.
In 1942, Camping earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He was a member of the Christian Reformed Church, serving as an Elder and Sunday school teacher at the Alameda Bible Fellowship.
In 1958, Camping along with Christian Reformed, Bible Baptist, and Conservative Christian Presbyterian fellows purchased an FM radio station in San Francisco, California, in order to broadcast traditional Christian Gospel for the conservative Protestant community and minister to the general public. Named Family Radio, Camping's organization acquired 13 additional stations.
In 1961 Camping begins to host the Open Forum program, a Family Radio live weeknight call-in program, Camping answering by means of interpretations to Bible related questions by dialing-in listeners. The program is still being broadcast on the more than 150 stations owned by Family Radio in the United States, and is also translated into foreign languages along with other Family Radio programmes broadcast worldwide.
Camping's rationale and calculations
In 2 Peter 3:8, the Bible says: "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Camping's interpretation of this quote is that one day is as 1,000 years, therefore, the seven days referred to in Genesis 7:4 can be understood as 7,000 years.
In 2 Peter 3:8, the Bible says: "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Camping's interpretation of this quote is that one day is as 1,000 years, therefore, the seven days referred to in Genesis 7:4 can be understood as 7,000 years.
The Bible also says that when God told Noah there were seven days to escape destruction, He was also telling the world there would be exactly 7,000 years (one day is as 1,000 years) to escape the Judgment Day.
The Great Flood, that Noah escaped in his ark, was in the year 4990 B.C., which is exactly 7000 thousand years back from 2011 (one year must be subtracted in going from an Old Testament B.C. calendar date to a New Testament A.D. calendar date because the calendar does not have a year zero). And as the waters of the Great Flood began on the 17th day of the 2nd month, in the year 4990 B.C., Camping notes that the May 21, 2011 is the 17th day of the 2nd month of the Biblical calendar of our day.
Criticism
Camping's also critics quote Bible verses, specifically Matthew 24:36 :
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.", which clearly states that the date of the end will never be known by anyone but God until it actually happens.
The author of the book Secrets of the Apocalypse - Revealed, James Kreuger, also stated: "For all his learning, Camping makes a classic beginner's mistake when he sets a date for Christ's return, Jesus himself said in Matthew 24:36, 'Of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my father only".
Mocking Camping's previous prediction about the Judgment Day ( which was supposed to happen in the year 1994) , biologist(and atheist), Richard Dawkins said "he will inevitably explain, on May 22nd, that there must have been some error in the calculation, the rapture is postponed to . . . and please send more money to pay for updated billboards". It is known that Campaign's Family Radio launched a high-profile advertising campaign, proclaiming the approaching Day of Judgment spreading more than 2,000 billboards across the US slogans like "Blow the trumpet, warn the people!".
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